The battle for the play-off places in the English Championship will become even more intense from next season onwards. On Thursday, the clubs voted in favour of a reform.
Emotions are always guaranteed in the play-offs: a Sunderland supporter celebrates promotion to the Premier League at Wembley last May.
With 66 points each, Millwall in eighth place and Blackburn Rovers in seventh narrowly missed out on the play-offs in the previous Championship season by just two points. From 2026/27 onwards, teams in those positions could still keep their Premier League promotion hopes alive.
On Thursday, the clubs in England’s second tier approved a change to the promotion format. From next season, the teams finishing third to eighth will compete for the third promotion spot, whereas until now only the sides placed third to sixth qualified. The top two teams will still be promoted automatically to the Premier League.
An extra play-off round to be added
More specifically, from 2026/27 the teams finishing third and fourth will progress directly to the play-off semi-finals. The four clubs behind them will first have to come through an additional qualifying round. In other words, an extra knockout stage is being introduced.
In that round, fifth place will host eighth and sixth will host seventh, with no second leg. The semi-finals will continue to be played over two legs, while the final will still take place at Wembley at the end of May.
According to the English Football League (EFL), the change is intended to increase the number of meaningful matches during the closing stages of the season.
“Since their introduction in 1986/87, the play-offs have become a highlight of the domestic football calendar and embody the drama, excitement and unpredictability that make the EFL so special,” said EFL chief executive Trevor Birch.
He added: “Following several months of discussions with clubs and other stakeholders, we are confident this change will further strengthen the Championship as a competition and give more clubs and their supporters a genuine opportunity to compete for promotion.”
In a physically demanding league, all 24 teams must complete 46 matchdays before the play-offs begin.
The reform, which has been under discussion for some time, will not for the time being be extended to League One or League Two.